a: damaged, defective, or superfluous material produced by a manufacturing process: as (1): material rejected during a textile manufacturing process and used usually for wiping away dirt and oil <cotton waste>(2):scrap(3): an unwanted by-product of a manufacturing process, chemical laboratory, or nuclear reactor <toxic waste><hazardous waste><nuclear waste>

Examples of WASTE

These old computers are still useful. It seems like such a waste to throw them away.

Any further investment would be a waste of valuable resources.

The city oversees waste disposal contracts.

Origin of WASTE

Middle English waste, wast; in sense 1, from Anglo-French wast, from wast, gast, guast, adjective, desolate, waste, from Latin vastus; in other senses, from Middle English wasten to waste — more at vast